The Oral Immunology/Microbiology Research Group was founded in 1991 as a means of promoting collegial interaction and collaboration among individuals interested in the immunology and microbiology of the oral cavity, particularly as related to oral disease (dental caries and periodontal disease). Formed in response to a general perception that large meetings such as the IADR/AADR General Sessions do not provide a forum suitable for intimate discourse and collaboration, the OIMRG is comprised of more than seventy investigators representing thirty-nine universities, research centers, and commercial organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Once each year the group convenes for an annual meeting which consists of three scientific session, each focusing upon a distinct area of oral immunology and microbiology. It is primarily, but not exclusively, through the annual meeting that the objectives of the Oral Immunology/Microbiology Research Group are achieved. These objectives include the following: 1. To foster interaction and collaboration among scientists interested in oral immunology and microbiology. 2. To promote information exchange and collaboration between academicians and their colleagues in the private sector who are engaged in basic and clinical studies pertaining to oral health and disease. 3. To provide a forum through which new investigator entering the fields of oral immunology/microbiology can begin to "network" with more established investigators and to establish contact with representatives of federal and non-federal agencies which may be a potential source of funding for future studies. The 7th annual meeting of the Oral Immunology/Microbiology Research Group has been scheduled for Feb. 21-24, 1997 and will be held at the Sheraton Charleston, in Charleston, SC. Session topics will include a) host responses to oral bacteria, b) mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis employed by oral bacteria, and c) mechanisms of host-mediated injury to oral tissues. Guest lecturers will discuss the role of IL-12 in infectious disease, as well as the use of in vivo expression technology as a means of studying bacterial virulence factors. Perpetuation of the OIMRG and its annual meetings greatly enhances interaction/collaboration among investigators with expertise in immunology and microbial pathogenesis as related to oral health and disease.